Take a tour of a midwife's kitbag So home birth can be a new, strange concept for many internationals living in the Netherlands, where midwifery is designed around the concept that birth in a natural process and medical intervention is needed only when it is needed! Coming from a more medicalised
Is water really effective for pain relief?
When you discovered you were pregnant and you started thinking about the birth of your baby did you think about water as an option for pain management? You would not be alone if your answer was NO! So whats so amazing about water? The benefits are huge! Placing a pool of water in a birth
A Day in the life of a Doula
Two repeat clients in one day! It’s a weird life, this doula-ing. Generally my workdays are filled with driving to an intake, a birth preparation meeting, giving an occasional massage or giving a private yoga course. But the rest of my workdays are actually not typical workdays. I live my life with
The quiet reality of hospital birth
“Why would I need a doula, I am giving birth in the hospital” is a statement I often hear when talking to women expecting their first baby. The truth of the matter is that if you really knew how much time you and your partner will be alone in that labouring room, you may feel differently.
A day in the life of a Dutchy midwife
It's 20.00pm on a Thursday evening and I'm ready to go on call. My colleague will arrive shortly to hand-over, unless she calls me first to take over from her if she's busy. A bit later and no phone call and no colleague yet. Not unusual though – it's a very relaxed team and this team mate I know